Prescription Drug Use On College Campuses Essay

Deemed as socially acceptable when used for non-medical reasons, prescription drugs such as amphetamines commonly infiltrate college campuses. As a college student, it isn’t uncommon to be overwhelmed with the piles of homework and tests to study for. It also isn’t uncommon to hear about students using non prescribed amphetamines such as Adderall and Ritalin to aide in the process of studying for big exams and finals. Although studies show that Ritalin and Adderall could be beneficial in small doses to treat children with attention deficit disorder, students that use large amounts of these

Margaret Talbot “From Brain Gain: The underground world of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” aims to illustrate how the use of neurotransmitters are in the college setting in attempt to aid college students with their busy lives. Using an unbiased tone, relatable people, and comparisons to convey her message, she creates a very realistic view of the current use or abuse of “brain-boosting” drugs.

With the increased pressure to succeed and the chaotic collegiate lifestyle taking a toll on students, Adderall has evolved into the “go-to drug.” The Class II prescription amphetamine is intended to solely treat individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The stimulant “works to enhance concentration by stimulating the production of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain” (Stolz 585). Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of Adderall on college campuses to enhance academic performance and cram for exams through the over-stimulation of the brain, therefore “creating super-enhanced focus” (Stolz 585), deeming it the “smart drug.” Due to the fact that several students are not truly diagnosed with ADHD, a majority of this use on campuses is illegal; this has become a growing problem affecting the health of students and entailing “issues of competiveness and fairness” (Jacobs 1). In recent years, the abuse of Adderall has circulated hundreds of college campuses and even secondary schools.

Therefore, from the research I have gathered, I believe that a prevention program, which combines campus drug courts and general prevention should be very effective in decreasing the substance abuse on campus. If administrators and campus police work together to support this idea, then students will begin to take these matters more seriously. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence prevention notes that these support systems are very helpful when devising campuses programs (5). As previously discussed, many students do not associate any negative consequences with Adderall and they view alcohol as a rite of passage. However, by implementing new measures, these misperceptions will soon decline. Students will witness administrators and police who patrol and advise against these behaviors rather than officials who overlook or underestimate this public health issue. Students will also see their friends go to court for these offenses, which should also change these misperceptions. With innovative models, such as the one described, administrators will be able to take a greater role in this issue and implement more effective

Deans, professors, and those entrusted with the nation’s children tolerate the fraternity rushes and the beer consumption at football games as an inevitable part of campus life (Califano, “Tolerating a Culture of Substance Abuse”, “Why Students Drink and Take Drugs”). Students report that they take drugs to manage stress: “CASA surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 students, who said they did so to relieve stress, relax, have fun, forget their problems and be one of the gang” (Califano, “Why Students Drink and Take Drugs”). Yet, taking drugs to manage stress seems to have the opposite effect. Drug and alcohol use is “linked to poor student academic performance, depression, anxiety, suicide, property damage, vandalism, fights and a host of medical problems” (Califano, “Tolerating a Culture of Substance Abuse”).

The study titled “Illicit use of Prescription ADHD Medications on College campuses, by DeSantis, Webb, & Noar, (2008) from the Journal of American College Health,” is both quantitative and qualitative in design, because the authors used mass surveys to gather statistics and in-depth interviews to collect personal information.

Ritalin is another example of a prescription ADHD stimulant that is misused frequently with a high mortality rate from overdose. Ritalin, which is more prevalent with high school age students, is primarily misused for weight loss and a feeling being high. The majority of children misusing prescription drugs such a Ritalin are under the impression that it is safer then illegal street drugs (CCHR, 2013). Ritalin is the most common stimulant drug prescribed to children with ADHD, but is also prescribed for other disorders, such as cancer, brain injury and pain management (Morton & Stockton, 2000). According to Morton & Stockton (2000) the effects of Ritalin are similar to the feeling of using cocaine, which may be one of the reasons that the ADHD drug is misused. According to research done by Musser et al. (1998) most school aged children using Ritalin did not think that Ritalin or any other prescription medication for ADHD could be abused. This ignorance may be part of the overwhelming reason that drugs such as Ritalin are becoming more widely

Stolz explains that college students across the U.S. are taking advantage of the black market from the stimulate and using it as a study drug (2012). With easy access, students have no issue finding a source, whether it’s illegally from someone willing to sell their own prescription for quick cash, or getting it wrongly prescribed from a clinic (Stolz, 2012). Health clinics in colleges are a convenient source of medical care, but they are also providing an effortless opportunity for any student to obtain a prescription through misdiagnosis. Stolz (2012), discloses that students in college are able to simply walk in without an appointment, mention a few key symptoms such as trouble focusing and conveniently acquire a prescription for Adderall. The on-campus clinics eliminate the need for appointments and advanced prolonged testing with psychiatrists allowing the students to receive an ADHD diagnosis easily (Stolz

Among college students, the overall use of drugs has significantly declined due to many laws and regulations that are enforced on the UF campus. Tobacco and smoking is prohibited. However, drug use off campus is not eliminated and may still cause problems with student learning capabilities. The most significant and commonly used drug by college students is marijuana. “Daily marijuana use among college-aged young adults is at its highest since 1980, surpassing daily cigarette smoking for the first time in 2014” (College).

In an age where a college degree is becoming more of a necessity, the high stress levels and competitiveness experienced by students at colleges and universities can become to much to bare. In turn, certain individuals seek the help of study drugs, also known as nootropics, “refer to the out-of-accordance use of prescription stimulants like Ritalin, Vyvanse, and Adderall to increase mental focus when studying. These drugs are commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD) patients. When used without a prescription, however, they can be dangerous. But despite the risks, 1 in 5 college students use study drugs to get a short-term energy boost to plow through the dreaded all-nighters” (“Study Drugs”).

Main Point: Simply to put it, people take them to improve focus, energy & gain an extreme edge against their academic competition. I remember during midterm’s week 2 students in one of my class’s talk about their study drug-fueled cramming sessions. “When was the last time you slept?” “Two days ago…” “And you’ve been up all this time studying?” “Yeah.”

Studies show prescription stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin that are used inappropriately to increase mental focus and productivity for the purpose of studying;Also called “smart drugs,” that are sometimes prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). If used without a prescription these drugs can be dangerous. Despite the risks, about 1 in 5 college students use theses “study drugs” to get a short-term boost of energy for those dreaded all-nighters. It has horrible physical side effect to the body that include short-term risk such as increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, nervousness, and insomnia.in the article the people who did take part in drugs other than marijuana were strongly associated with the risk for discontinuous enrollment. but within this testing the groups in the high and low groups were at a higher chance of discontinue enrollment compare to the minimal group.

Over the course of three years, they interviewed 1,060 students in their undergraduate program. Each interview was conducted once a year. The first year represented the baseline for the students, all of whom were freshman. There were five measures evaluated during the interviews. Demographics included sex and socioeconomic status. Sensation-seeking was used to measure personality. The ZKPQ-S was used because it has been known to correlate risky behaviors in students. Caffeine consumption was also a measure. Researchers conducted this part of the study with two questions in the second year. Students were asked what type of caffeine products they consumed and how much caffeine they approximately consumed within an average week. In each interview students were asked about their illicit drug use, tobacco, and alcohol consumption. Marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, and amphetamines were all classified as illicit. The researchers also questioned students about their use of prescription drugs that were not used for medical purposes. All factors were balanced via sampling

The researchers also found that college students who had been prescribed a prescription painkiller while in elementary school were more likely than others to abuse painkillers in college; for example, about 14 percent of the men and 16 percent of the women who reported past year illicit use of pain medications had been prescribed painkillers in elementary school. The researchers state:

In the U.S., a number of studies have found that alcohol is the most widely used drug among medical students. Researchers Lila G. Croen, Mary Woesner, Merrill Herman, & Michael Reichgott, (1997), found in their study that over 90% of students reported using alcohol, with wine being the most common form consumed. Marijuana was the most used illegal drug at 29% (Croen et al., 1997). Family histories that were positive for alcohol abuse were noted at 13.9% for first year students and 15.8 for third year students (Croen et al., 1997). Being identified for possible substance dependence was found in 8.9% of first year students and 3.5 % in third year students (Croen et al., 1997). Second and fourth year students were not included in their study. Despite the lower percentage of at risk students in the third year class, given that